Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will not delay the Bill much longer. I thank Deputies for their co-operation in dealing with it in the past few months. I thank the water charges committee for the extensive work it did, as well as the expert group and the joint Oireachtas committee for the time they took to consider the Bill. I do not view it as a victory for the people. I view it as political parties and politicians trying to use the issue to score points for their own political gain against a Government that is trying to recover an economy and a country. It is a great disservice to the public they claim to represent. After the general election in 2016, we had to put a Government together. That meant putting stability above populism, which is exactly what Fine Gael sought to do. Nevertheless, I hope the Bill will settle the matter for a number of years.

We have a single utility in Irish Water. Regardless of whatever people might like to think about the good work it has already done, it has done good work. It has proved itself in a number of instances in the work it is doing to help people who previously had been subject to "boil water" notices, to repair extensive parts of the water mains and infrastructure that had not been repaired previously and to help in times of crisis, including when Storm Ophelia struck in restoring people's water supplies, being part of the national emergency co-ordination group and working with ESB Networks to make sure the water infrastructure power supply was prioritised in those few days. We have that single utility which is doing good work. There is funding certainty for Irish Water in this legislation because of the different steps it sets out regarding the strategic plan for it, the policy statement that will come from me, the water services charging plan and the cost recovery mechanisms that will be involved in it. We will have it in place for the years to come and also levels of transparency that were not evident previously. These are all good things to have, particularly as we look to the future. With all of the money we seek to invest in Irish Water, it is important that there be proper transparency in making that investment and in terms of what will happen.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett is right that the spin is continuing because simply to claim that this somehow and in some way represents water charges through the back door and also that the allowance is so generous that it will not capture swimming pools and water features is a ridiculous position to hold. Nevertheless, the Deputy attempts to hold it.

With regard to what Sinn Féin and parties of the left state will happen if the Dáil changes or progresses its views in the future, I hope they are not suggesting they will stand against the democratic decision of the Dáil if it makes that decision in the future because clearly the legislation puts that decision regarding the allowance figure of 1.7 on top of the average household allowance in the hands of the Dáil. I am not quite sure if Sinn Féin and Deputies on the left are saying they will stand against a democratic decision of the Dáil, but the sentiment is clear in what they say. When Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asks why Fine Gael will not enter power with Sinn Féin, it is because of the undemocratic tendencies suggested in Sinn Féin Deputies' contributions.

Deputies claim there was an attempt at privatisation, but that was never the case and it is not the case today. Owing to the funding arrangements for Irish Water, it is essentially impossible to do so. I have no problem with retaining it in public ownership and holidng a referendum on the issue of public ownership, but we need to make the decision soon because Deputy Joan Collins's Bill is being brought to the committee. If we think a referendum on the issue has priority over other referendums people want us to hold, for example, a referendum on the eighth amendment, that is a decision we must make and we must be responsible in coming to such a decision. Again, I have no problem with holding a referendum on the issue of public ownership in the future, but there are other referenda that are just as important to people in this republic.

Once the Bill passes through both Houses, we will be able to begin the process of issuing refunds to as many households as possible. Regrettably, it will not be possible to make them to all households before Christmas. Let us be honest about the delays we have seen as the Bill has passed through the House. Let us look at the number of speakers who contributed on Second Stage and the speeches they repeated on Second, Committee and Report Stages and in their concluding remarks. Let us look at the number of amendments tabled, refused and resubmitted. As Deputy Barry Cown pointed out, let us look at the substance of some of those amendments and what they were really trying to achieve, if it was not to cause a delay. Let us look at some of the questions I had already answered that were asked again today.

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin can go back and look at the record of the proceedings in the House yesterday, at the questions I answered related to the role of the independent regulator. Perhaps Sinn Féin does not support having an independent regulator, but we do. It will answer the questions about the actual amount to be charged. It will be a metric charge for those with a meter. For those without a meter, I imagine there will be a range of charges, but that will be a matter for the independent regulator to decide in consultations. There is plenty of time to decide because, as we all know, even though an attempt was made to take these measures out of the legislation, there will be a 12-month period beginning in January during which we will review households' consumption of water. Following that 12-month period, they will be issued with a notice and have six months to bring their usage below an allowance that allows for there being eight people in a household. If they number more than four, they can apply for even more for individuals. If there is a medical need, they will be able to apply for a waiver. Again, to suggest this represents the introduction of water charges through the back door and somehow leaves something open or left to be done is complete nonsense.

I have already begun my engagement with the National Federation of Group Water Schemes and that engagement will continue once the Bill has been passed. I have to say it is a pleasure to deal with the group because it knows what it costs and what it means to have clean drinking water and treatment facilities provided for households.

The Government will continue to prioritise investment in our network and in the future of the country's water services. We will continue to conserve water and improve that water services network into the future because of the importance this vital resource has for all the businesses and people in this Republic. I accept this investment was not made in the past. In the past it was not prioritised as an investment because water infrastructure is below ground and therefore perhaps not as sexy as hospitals and schools, but it is just as important. We will continue to make that a priority and the Bill will allow us to do that.

I commend the Bill to the House.

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